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British Singer Lesley Duncan Dead at 66

British singer Lesley Duncan, who worked with artists such as Elton John, Pink Floyd and Dusty Springfield, died Friday, March 12, NME reports. The 66-year-old passed had been battling cerebrovascular disease for five years.

Born in Stockton-on-Tees in northeast England, Duncan's music career began in the '60s when she moved to London. Though her solo career never garnered her much stardom, she did sing on albums including Elton John's 'Madman Across the Water' and Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon.'

In 1970, John recorded a duet with Duncan of her track 'Love Song' on his album 'Tumbleweed Connection,' marking one of the few of John's releases not written by him or Bernie Taupin. Her version of the song appeared on the album 'Sing Children Sing,' which her husband, Tony Cox, said was playing as she died in a hospital near her home in Tobermory, Scotland.

"This afternoon I drove to the hospital at about 2PM and on the way I got a call that Lesley's condition had deteriorated alarmingly. When I arrived at her bedside, the nurse had put on the 'Sing Children Sing' album playing softly in the background," Cox said on a website dedicated to his wife's memory. "I held Lesley's hand and after about 10 minutes 'Love Song' started to play. During the song I felt one or two tremors pass through Lesley's body and, as her lovely song ended, she passed away. It was as peaceful, I think, as death can be and a relief after her years of struggle."

Duncan's funeral will be held this Friday, March 19.

Lesley Duncan sings 'Love Song'

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elyse scott

I used to babysit Leslie's boys when the family lived in Woodstock...she was great fun and Tony was a star to!

March 21 2010 at 10:15 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sean Blake

This is a fantastic song by a most underrated singer and much admired composer.
Lesley really was in harmony with the best of life.

March 21 2010 at 1:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rufus Stone

Just listened to the recording. Truly lovely...thank you

March 17 2010 at 3:03 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
dave g

may Ms. Duncan be a part of the 'Great Gig in the Sky' now...

"And I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I
don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying?
There's no reason for it, you've gotta go sometime."

I never said I was afraid of dying

"If you can hear this whispering you are dying."

"I never said I was frightened of dying."

Pink Floyd keyboard player Rick Wright wrote this song, which is about life, gradually descending into death. Hence the angrier and more intense first half with a dying person refusing to "go gently into that good night."The second half is gentler, as the dying person gives into the inevitable and fades away. In the March, 1998 issue of Mojo, Wright explained: "For me, one of the pressures of being in the band was this constant fear of dying because of all the traveling we were doing in planes and on the motorways in America and in Europe."

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2665

March 16 2010 at 7:54 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
John W. Byler

I met her a couple of times in New York at CBS Studios in Manhattan many years ago. She was such a lovely talented woman.
She will be missed. Even though in death;
she is immortal because her music will NEVER die!!!

March 16 2010 at 3:54 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply